Railway-car.



No. 757,427. PA'IENTED APR. 12, 1904.

G. E. STEWART. RAILWAY GAR. APPLIOATION rmm we, 19.1903.

10 IODEL.

W1 tpwaaw ma Nnnms Pz'fzns' c0, PHOTO-L|THO.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES Patented April 12, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,427, dated April 12, 1904.

Application filed August 19, 1903. Serial No. 169,978. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, CHARLEs EDWIN STEW- ART, a citizen of the United States, residing at McHenry, in the county of Harrison and State of Mississippi, have invented .new and useful Improvements in Railway Cars, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates especially to railwaycars for use in hauling logs over what are termed logging-roads, such roads being for a somewhat temporary use, and therefore of a rough and uneven construction.

The object of the invention is the production of a log-car suitable for these loggingroads which will be adapted to be lengthened or shortened to accommodate the various sizes of logs by the employment of a construction of truck and coupling that will provide the necessary adjustment of the carslength without impairing the strength of the car, and at the same time to provide for independent movement of each truck in order that the unevenness of the rails will not cause derailment.

The invention therefore consists in certain novel features in the construction and arrangernent of parts, all as hereinafter described, and set forth specifically in the ap-- pended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of a car constructed in accordance with the invention and shown coupled to decrease the length of the car to the minimum; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section taken centrally of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a side elevation of the car, shown coupled to increase its length to the maximum.

Referring to the drawings, 1, 2, and 3 indicate, respectively, the three trucks, which are of substantially like construction, each being provided with the movable supporting and draft structure, comprising the two spacedapart parallel sills 4, common to trucks of this character, and a bolster 5, fitted within a recess in the sills and receiving the pivotpin 6. The forward end of truck 1 and the rear .end of truck 3 are provided with the usual coupling-head 7 and draw-bar 8, these being mounted between the sills in suitable cross-supports.

The sills of the intermediate truck, as well as the inwardly-projecting portions of the sills of the end trucks, are provided with upper and lower end plates 9 and 10, provided with flanges 11, which embrace the sides of the sills. These plates are clamped to the sills by bolts 12 or other suitable means and while forming cross-braces thereto also provide means for supporting and securing between the sills the adjustable bar 13, which is provided with apertures 14 to receive the coupling-pin 15, pass- ,ing through the plates 9 and 10.

A second set of plates 16 and 17 is provided the sills intermediate the bolster and the end plates, and these are adapted to receive the coupling-pin when the trucks are coupled as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or, if desired, two coupling-pins may be used when the trucks are thus coupled, thereby distributing the strain and materially strengthening the coupling.

Upon each sill is provided an iron strapbrace 18, which passes over the bolster and over the plates 9 and 16 and is secured by means of the plate-securing bolts. This brace while performing the function of forming a strong connection of the bolster with the sills also forms a connecting-brace between the upper plates, as well as bracing thesill longitudinally, thereby giving increased strength to the sill and also to the attachment of the plates, thus enabling them to better withstand the strain brought on them by virtue of their connection to the coupling-bar.

The truck constructed as herein set forth admits the ready removal of the coupling-bar and the use of bars of different length, if desired, or the ready elimination or introduction of an intermediate truck when necessary or desired, the purpose of the intermediate truck being mainly to admit of the car being increased greatly in length without occasioning any sagging of the logs.

It will be seen that the provision herein made for coupling the trucks to increase the length of the car is such as to produce the necessary strength of car while enabling the car to be used to advantage in shipping logs assorted into various lengths and at the same time provide the necessary flexibility of the coupling to cause each truck to more readily keep the track by yielding to its unevenness. What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with two or more trucks having the sills thereof spaced apart and pro-' vided with cross-plates on their upper and lower faces, adapted to receive a couplingpin, and a coupling-bar adjustable between the opposing sills of the trucks, and provided with apertures to receive the coupling-pin,

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with the end trucks having'the sills thereof spaced apart, of an intermediate truck having sills spaced apart, and

two coupling-bars adjustable, respectively, be-

tween the forward and rearward portion of said sills and the sills of the adjoining trucks, and means for connecting said bars to the sills, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A truck having the sills thereof spaced apart to receive a coupling-bar, and provided with cross-plates adapted to receive a coupling-pin, and a bolster-strap for each sill secured over the said cross-plates and forming a connecting-brace therefor, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.'

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES EDWIN STEWART. Witnesses:

R. O. SHARBROUGH, OSCAR GRAoE. 

